ORGANIZING TIPS FOR WORKING WOMEN Declutter Your Life… “Stop, Look and Listen”

Want to fast-track your way to decluttering your life? Read this article, implement these easy ideas, and your life will never be the same!

Spring is a great time to STOP what you are doing for just a minute. Take a LOOK around you at work and at home. I mean: really look around you. When you no longer see the clutter, that’s when you really have a problem. Time to clean up! LISTEN to your mind and body and what the clutter is doing to you.

Clutter comes in many forms, three of which are physical, mental and time. You can be the most organized person in the world with your “stuff,” but then you cram your life with so many activities, concerns and worries that you produce mental clutter. This is also known as stress.

NEED VS. WANT

If you really want to declutter your life, you must change your beliefs and behavior. If you believe that you need to have more things, then you will never change your behavior of obtaining them. If, on the other hand, you begin to understand why you are bringing things into your life, you’ll be able to make the changes you desire. The result: you’ll begin to experience a neater, more organized, more peaceful environment.

SHOPPING 101

Shopping is a clutterer’s worst enemy! To begin the decluttering process, you don’t just have to eliminate some of the stuff you have; you must also curb or stop the inflow. If you decide to buy something new, you should decide right then and there what item(s) you will be discarding, donating, selling, or giving to a friend.

For example, say you are at the mall and you see a pair of pants that you must have. Before you buy, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I NEED or WANT these pants? (If you WANT them, simply walk away. Go back in a week, if you even remember that you wanted the pants in the first place! Then go through these questions again.)

2. If I NEED them, where will I put them? (Do you have room?)

3. If I buy them, what will I be getting rid of?

If you really want to make progress, instead of getting rid of one item to make room for the new, get rid of two or three or four! Obviously, the higher the number, the faster you will see the results of your decluttering.

Advanced tip: I actually do the above scenario backwards. I clean my closets out twice a year…spring and fall. When I see what gaps I have to fill, then and only then do I go shopping to fill those gaps (if necessary).

This One-In / One-Out Rule applies to anything that you bring into your life—not just clothes. It can work for committee positions, furniture, toys (especially toys), books, volunteer positions, unnecessary obligations, computer equipment, people, extracurricular activities, office supplies, etc.

When you finally get out from under the clutter, you will probably wonder how you ever managed with so much superfluous stuff. You will be much more careful of what you add to your life.

So, STOP…LOOK…and LISTEN in order to keep clutter from taking over your life.